Medical Inquests
At Damien Tansey Solicitors LLP, our experienced team, led by Senior Partner Damien Tansey SC, specialises in representing families at medical inquests and coroner's inquests across Ireland, particularly where a death has occurred under medical care and questions arise about possible negligence, errors, or substandard treatment. Medical inquests are formal inquiries held by a coroner to determine the circumstances and cause of a sudden, unexplained, or violent death, often involving hospitals, GPs, or other healthcare providers when medical misadventure is suspected. These inquests examine evidence from witnesses, medical records, post-mortem reports, and expert testimony to establish facts such as whether delays in diagnosis, surgical errors, failures in monitoring, or other breaches contributed to the death. Our firm has successfully represented families in numerous high-profile medical inquests, securing verdicts of medical misadventure in cases including the death of Lisa Niland at Sligo University Hospital due to delayed CT scanning for a brain bleed, a patient at Galway University Hospital following vascular procedure complications, Mary Conway at St James's Hospital, and others where systemic issues were highlighted.
We understand the profound grief and need for answers when a loved one dies in circumstances that raise concerns about medical care, and we provide empathetic, determined support to ensure families' voices are heard and their interests protected throughout the process. Damien Tansey SC and our dedicated solicitors prepare thoroughly by gathering evidence, advising on questions to ask witnesses, and where appropriate collaborating with independent medical experts to scrutinise clinical decisions and care standards.
Inquests play a vital role in establishing the truth, preventing future deaths through coroner's recommendations (such as calls for inquiries into hospital practices), and often laying essential groundwork for subsequent medical negligence or wrongful death compensation claims. Our representation helps families navigate the emotional and procedural challenges, from pre-inquest preparation to attending hearings and addressing any findings.
We offer free, confidential initial consultations at a convenient time and location anywhere across Ireland, from our Sligo and Dublin offices or elsewhere, with no obligation to proceed. Strict considerations around timing apply, as inquests can influence civil claim time limits under Irish law—so contact us as soon as possible if an inquest is pending or anticipated.
Let Damien Tansey Solicitors LLP, a leading firm with a strong history of securing medical misadventure verdicts and holding healthcare providers accountable at coroner's inquests, guide your family through this difficult process to obtain the answers, closure, and potential pathways to justice you deserve following a preventable death in medical care.
